The red-bellied squirrel or Sulawesi giant squirrel (''Rubrisciurus rubriventer'') is a species of
squirrel. Until recently, it was described as a species in the genus ''
Callosciurus
''Callosciurus'' is a genus of squirrels collectively referred to as the "''beautiful squirrels''". They are found mainly in Southeast Asia, though a few species also occur in Nepal, northeastern India, Bangladesh and southern China. Several of ...
'', but since the 1990s it is generally placed in its own genus ''Rubrisciurus''. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
on the Indonesian island of
Sulawesi, where it is widespread. It has also been found on
Sangir Island
Sangir Besar, commonly called Sangir Island (with the spelling variants "Sangihe", "Sanghir" or "Sangi"), is an island in the Sangir Islands group. Its Indonesian name literally means "Great Sangir", in reference to the fact that it is the arch ...
to the north of Sulawesi. With a length of 25 cm (head and body), it is rather large for a squirrel. It lives in the tree tops of the rainforests of the island.
References
*Thorington, R. W. Jr. and R. S. Hoffman. 2005. Family Sciuridae. pp. 754–818 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
Mammals described in 1844
Rodents of Sulawesi
Callosciurinae
{{Squirrel-stub